Wednesday, 24 February 2016

The Shining Star of Korea

Michael Chant, Andy Brooks and Dermot Hudson

by
New Worker correspondent

Friends
of the Korean revolution celebrated the 74th anniversary of the birth of dear
leader Kim Jong Il at a number of events in February, including a reception and ceremony at
the London embassy of the DPR Korea in London on the 12th and a
meeting at the John Buckle Centre on 13th February.

In Democratic Korea Kim Jong
Il’s birthday has long been known as the Day of the Shining Star and comrades
paid tribute to the Korean leader’s immense contribution to the theory and practice
of the world communist movement at a Friends of Korea meeting at the
headquarters of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (ML) in south
London.

NCP
leader Andy Brooks opened the meeting by paying tribute to Kim Jong Il, who steered
the DPR of Korea through the difficult times that followed the death of great
leader Kim Il Sung in 1994. He devoted his entire life to serving the Korean
people in the cause of building a human-centred society, a cause that is
espoused by the democratic and anti-imperialist forces the world over. He
followed the footsteps of great leader Kim Il Sung in leading the country into
the 21st century. Now the torch has passed to Kim Jong Un and under his
leadership the DPRK has made giant strides in science and technology over the
past few weeks with the test of a thermos-nuclear bomb and the successful
launch of a satellite into space.

This
was followed by other tributes from Michael Chant of the RCPB (ML), Dermot
Hudson of the Korean Friendship Association andDPRK Ambassador Hyong Hak Bong who answered questions from the audience
on the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula. This was followed by Kim Jong Un guides Satellite launch! a DPRK
film about last week’s tremendous space launch.

Comrades and friends joined diplomats and many others actively involved in
solidarity with Democratic Korea across the country for the reception to mark the
Day of the Shining Star at the DPRK embassy in London.

Last week, on 16th February, Andy Brooks,
the NCP leader, joined others in laying floral tributes in front of the
portraits of the great Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at a ceremony
at the DPRK embassy in London.

The
Co-ordinating Committee of the Friends of Korea brings together all the major
movements active in Korean friendship and solidarity work in Britain today. It
is chaired by Andy Brooks and the secretary is Michael Chant. The committee
organises meetings throughout the year, which are publicised by the supporting
movements and on the Friends of Korea website.